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"We'd be astonished to see a $199 price point," said Rhoda Alexander, director of tablet and monitor research for IHS iSuppli. "It would be giving away money and losing money at the same time."

Roger Kay, principal analyst at Endpoint Technologies, also has serious reservations. "If Microsoft decided to go for the jugular and do the loss-leader to sell software, it would really screw with the Microsoft partners," he said.

Kay continued. "There are already a lot of efforts underway and money has been spent [by partners] on getting products to come to market with Windows 8. If they mess with their partners like that they may lose them entirely," he added.

Partners include companies like Dell, Samsung, and Lenovo, which Microsoft said on Monday would be bringing out RT versions of Windows 8 tablets and convertibles.

And those products are expected to be well over $199. "We expect to see something iPad-esque. In the range of $500...something in that ballpark," said Alexander, referring to the less-expensive RT devices.

About the author

Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
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